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Chapter 13: Enemies and Examinations

After a weekend of rest and relaxation, Falco, Katt, and Fay met up with Dash at the CDF base where his pressure suit was being made with theirs. While they spent time getting familiar with the VR HUD helmets and made arrangements to upgrade their Arwings avionics, Fox and Krystal took off into the heavens, leading Bulldog and Husky Squadrons on another training exercise.

This time though, they were on their way to the Meteo asteroid field aboard the CDF Carrier Dauntless. In the ship's cavernous hangar bay, they disembarked from their Arwings to let the crew prepare their fighters for the upcoming exercises. They all remained suited up and gathered in the carrier's briefing room.

"Alright everyone," Fox called out, bringing every pilot to attention. "Today, we'll be training in using the Arwing's capabilities to escort and protect the Dauntless from attack." Focusing on Bill and his wingmates, Fox went on. "Given that Bulldog Squadron will soon be going with the exploratory expeditions being planned, they will be the defenders."

Krystal turned to address the other pilots. "Husky Squadron, your job will be to try and get by the Bulldogs and score hits on the Dauntless. Our carrier will be keeping score of how many hits you make on critical systems. Fox and I will be outside, above and below the Dauntless, monitoring everything and giving you feedback."

Fox gave further instructions to establish the scenario for the exercise. "Bulldogs, for this first exercise, you'll be waiting in the launch bay while the Huskies fly out to the edge of the Dauntless' scanner range. When the Huskies turn back into Scanner range, the Dauntless will signal their presence as if they were attacking. You will launch and intercept them."

Krystal concluded the briefing by addressing both squadrons. "Computers on each of your Arwings will record the number of hits until you are marked as 'destroyed' upon which you will withdraw from the battle." She paused and both Fox and Krystal asked at the same time. "Are there any questions?" When there were none and Krystal could sense no confusion or uncertainty, both foxes nodded. "Then let's move out!"

As a group, they all headed to the hangar where all 26 Arwings were waiting on their launching rails.

When each pilot was strapped into his or her fighter and all were ready, Fox and Krystal launched first, followed by Husky Squadron. Fox flew up to hold position above the carrier while Krystal flew down to hold position below the carrier, each 100 meters away. As planned, Husky Squadron flew out to just beyond the edge of their carrier's sensor rage. A few minutes later, they appeared in two groups of six coming from opposite directions, racing towards the Dauntless.

At once, sirens blared inside the hangar bay. "Alert! Incoming bogeys coming in on two opposing vectors. Bulldog Squadron, launch and intercept!"

Without further delay, the twelve Arwings of Bulldog Squadron were catapulted out of the hangar. They immediately picked up the Husky Arwings on their VR HUD. Bill activated his comm and called out. "Bulldogs 7 through 12, intercept intruders on bearing 130, mark 15. Bulldogs 2 through 6 with me." The two groups then broke from each other to meet their quarry.

With their lasers reduced to 1% power, a few Huskies did manage to score 'hits' but the Bulldogs defended the carrier well. Fox observed and coached the Bulldogs on defending their carrier.

"Bulldog 1, pull back. Remember. Your primary objective is to defend the Dauntless and not let any enemy by you. Don't let any of them draw you away."

"Roger that, Fox 1," came Bill's reply.

"Bulldog 8, you have two bogies setting you up for a crossfire. Barrel roll and evade." Fox advised. "Well done!"

"Bulldogs 5 and 6, lock onto the bogie at your 10 o'clock. I have the one at my 1 o'clock." Nena called out."

On a separate frequency, Krystal coached the Huskies on penetrating the defenses. "Husky 12, try to draw some out away from the Dauntless."

"Roger that, Fox 2," came Mark's reply

When Fox saw Bill chasing one Mark's Arwing away and then keep pursuing while peppering his target to score a 'kill,' he opened a channel. "Bulldog 9, remember that you're objective is to protect the Dauntless. Don't let yourself be drawn away. This is not a competition to rack up kill scores."

"Roger that, Fox 1," Roger Brown replied, feeling himself chagrinned by the admonishment while he looped back and raced towards the Dauntless to pursue another Arwing that had gotten by him.

While Fox continued observing the combat exercise, a power overload warning flashed on his helmet's HUD. His Arwing's engine's cooling system had stopped working and the engines were quickly overheating.

Krystal saw through his eyes that his situation was getting dire and sped around the carrier towards her husband.

Fox quickly could see that there was no stopping this overload and that his Arwing was about to explode. He reached for the handle between his legs and bracing himself, gave it a hard pull. To his horror, the rockets under his cockpit did not fire to eject him from his dying Arwing. He flipped the switched on his dash to open the canopy, but it would not open.

Krystal could feel the growing panic in her beloved's mind. She arced her Arwing around and raced towards him with boosters at full power.

Fox was frantically looking around inside his cockpit for something to break his window when he saw an image from his wife's mind blaze in his mind's eye. Immediately understanding what she intended to do, he pressed himself back into his seat and closed his eyes.

With her Arwing's lasers at full power, Krystal took careful aim and pulled the trigger.

Inside his Arwing, a blinding light flashed through his tightly shut eyelids and his ears popped while he heard the brief, loud roar of his cockpit explosively decompressing. "QUICKLY! GET OUT!" her voice screamed in his mind.

His eyes snapped open to see what he saw only moments before through his wife's eyes. With surgical precision, Krystal had used her lasers to slice off the front of his canopy. Unbuckling his seat's harness, Fox stood up, the quick disconnects in his backpack unhooking him from the dying Arwing. He braced his feet to the bottom of his seat and leapt out through the molten hole left in the front of his canopy.

Moments later, Krystal's Arwing raced to a sudden stop between Fox and his dying ship just as it exploded. Krystal had an instant before diverted all power to her Arwing's ventral shields, which now absorbed the brunt of the radiation and shrapnel from Fox's exploding Arwing.

She gazed up through the top of her canopy at her vulpine tumbling away. The moment the explosion had dissipated, Krystal angled her Arwing towards Fox and engaged her thrusters, slowly closing the distance. She drifted towards her vulpine until he was slowly spinning just above the nose of her ship.

Having matched his speed, Krystal angled up the nose of her Arwing until Fox was able to place a gloved hand onto her ship and steady himself. Slowly and with care, he pulled himself along up the nose of his wife's Arwing until he reached her canopy. Still shaken, his fingers slipped over the edge of the canopy and he started drifting very slowly away.

Normally, it would not have been an issue. Attached to the armrest of an Arwing's ejection seat was a detachable remote controller that would operate small reaction control thrusters in his life support backpack. Unfortunately, the controller was destroyed with his fighter craft. Despite the inability to maneuver back towards his wife's Arwing, Fox was nevertheless relieved to be alive and well.

With the moment's fear behind them, Krystal depressed a switch on her panel. In the next instant, her cockpit decompressed and the canopy swung open. With one less barrier between her and her husband, she unbuckled her harness, gripped her own RCS remote, and slowly drifted up out of her Arwing. The air hoses to her Arwing's internal life support disconnected and reeled back into her seat's backrest. Kept alive and warm by their backpacks, the two foxes embraced in the vacuum of space over her ship.

"And to think I had nightmares of you being spaced, and it's me that ends up having to bail out of my Arwing."

Krystal brought a gloved hand up between them and the two gazed at it while she flexed her fingers and closed her hand against the air pressure inside her glove that was wanting to force her hand open.

Fox had two vixens that had his deepest gratitude: his wife Krystal for saving him from his exploding Arwing and Vanessa Chambers for the pressure suit keeping him safely cocooned in its envelope of warmth and pressurized oxygen.

"We definitely have to give Vanessa our deepest thanks for saving our lives."

Fox couldn't help thinking about kissing the snow vixen and blushed at the thought.

Krystal naturally saw that thought. "Oh, I agree. She deserves a big kiss from you. I'll give her one too."

Fox let loose a giddy laugh, imagining with his wife the snow vixen blushing while being double-kissed.

In the intervening minutes between Fox's Arwing exploding and Krystal retrieving her drifting husband, the Huskies and Bulldogs had broken off from their combat exercise when they realized that Fox was in trouble. All 24 Arwings were drifting around the two wayward foxes. Bill was so relieved that his longtime friend was safe, but hid his residual fear by joking. "Only you two would go as far as making PDA while doing an EVA."

Still holding each other about their hips, Fox and Krystal turned to gaze at Bill in his Arwing slowly approaching them. Krystal locked eyes with their canine friend. "Bill, someone sabotaged Fox's Arwing."

In the next instant, Krystal projected into the dog's mind her memory of Fox's point of view inside his Arwing. Through Fox's eyes, Bill relived the moments before the Arwing exploded. He saw the overload warning on the vulpine's HUD and experienced his growing panic at realizing that his ejection system had been disabled and his inability to override the locks on his canopy and his escape through the hole blasted out by Krystal's Arwing.

Bill was breathing fast, his heart pounding from the intense experience. Keeping his eyes locked on the vixen, he thought back. "Shit! Someone tried to assassinate Fox."

"Yes. We must get back to the Dauntless. Protect us, Bill."

"You got it!" Bill then activated his comm. "Huskies, Bulldogs, form up around me. We are escorting the McClouds back aboard the Dauntless."

While the others formed a perimeter around them, Krystal activated her backpack's RCS thrusters and guided herself back towards her Arwing with Fox holding on to her arm. Both took hold of the open canopy when it came within their reach. While Krystal pulled herself inside and strapped in, Fox grappled his way over the back of her Arwing and gripped his hands and knees on each side of the fuselage right behind the cockpit.

Knowing that her husband had a good grip, Krystal gently applied thrust and slowly accelerated her Arwing.

Despite the near-death experience, Fox couldn't help but enjoy the ride. Straddling the back of an Arwing, he was afforded a wondrous view of interplanetary space around them. Sensing his enjoyment, Krystal performed a slow aileron roll. Her tod grinned while he watched the stars slowly spin about him.

Approaching the open hangar bay, Krystal straightened her Arwing out and with Fox still riding the back of her fighter, she slowly guided her craft through the force field and into the hangar.

Feeling his weight bare down on him under the Dauntless' artificial gravity, Fox sat on the back of the Arwing and kept himself steady until Krystal gently landed on the hangar deck. He then slid down the side onto the deck and was quickly joined by Krystal when she popped the canopy open and jumped out of her Arwing.

Standing there next to her Arwing, Fox again embraced his wife, caressing her feminine hips. He really loved how this form-fitting spacesuit looked on her. Together they glanced up and watched the other Arwings glide into the hangar and land around them. He lifted his hands to take his helmet off, but stopped.

Glancing at the hangar bay's shielded opening, he felt uneasy. That thin energy barrier was all that kept the air inside this cavernous deck of their carrier from rushing out into the cold vacuum of space. With someone on board who had already tried to assassinate him, Fox was reluctant to leave the safe cocoon of his pressure suit.

It was at that moment that they were met by Commander Fenral Rufus. The grey wolf, who was the first officer of the Dauntless, had made his way from the bridge to the hangar to investigate. "Mister McCloud, what happened out there?"

Though he couldn't hear him with his helmet on, Fox nodded to the wolf and pointed to the door exiting from the hanger deck into the ship. The commander frowned but followed the former Star Fox leader and his wife as they walked towards the door. Fox and Krystal led him to a briefing room a short distance from the hangar deck where they took their helmets off.

"Sorry about the secrecy, Commander," Fox apologized. "We thought it would be better if we had a private place to talk."

The lupine frowned again, but nodded. "So what happened out there? Our sensors registered an overload in your Arwing and the next thing we know, your wife is shooting up your fighter."

"My Arwing was sabotaged. The cooling system was disabled and in an attempt to keep me from escaping, the ejection system was rendered inoperative and my canopy would not open. Krystal had to use her lasers to slice off the front of my canopy for me to escape. She then used her ship to shield me from the blast of my Arwing's explosion."

The commander's hackles rose and cold fury blazed in his eyes. "When I find out who did this..." he growled. "We'll see if keelhauling is possible in space." He then took a deep breath and nodded to Fox. "Get yourself to the infirmary, Mister McCloud," he growled. "I want to make sure you are uninjured and have not been exposed to radiation from your Arwing's destruction. I'm going to report this to the captain." He then stormed out of the briefing room without another glance at the McClouds.

Fox and Krystal shivered, having felt the first officer's fury through her empathy. As ordered, he went to the infirmary, first stopping at their quarters where they doffed their spacesuits and quickly showered. Krystal then left Fox at the infirmary for his medical exam and went up to the bridge.

Stepping off from the lift onto the Dauntless' expansive bridge, she quickly saw Captain Lupo Ramius standing behind a serval at his station. Both were looking at a monitor showing the security camera recordings of the hangar bay.

The white wolf turned to glance at the blue-furred vixen. "Missus McCloud, how is your husband?"

"He seems fine, but is in the infirmary undergoing his examination as ordered by Commander Rufus."

"Captain Ramius," the serval called out, his eyes narrowed on what he was seeing on his monitor. "I've narrowed it down to four suspects."

"Very good, Lieutenant Jabari. Interrogate each suspect. Find out who did this."

"Yes Sir!" the feline security officer saluted and stood up to head to the exit. Krystal followed. "Lieutenant Jabari, I'd like to be there when you interrogate them."

The cat paused and turned to the vixen. "Do not worry, Missus McCloud. I'll find out who tried to murder your husband."

Krystal could tell that the security officer was in no way condescending, but she could sense some concern directed towards her. He resumed walking and stepped into the lift. Pausing, he waited for Krystal to join him. Once the lift started moving, she said, "I'm quite sure you could, but I want to help....You may have heard, but I'm a telepath. I can tell when someone is telling the truth or lying."

A pensive look flitted across his features. "Yes, I had heard. I also have reports that you would never invade someone's mind against their will."

Krystal didn't know if she should be impressed or disturbed that this security officer knew that aspect of her. "Well yes, but I don't need to read someone's mind to know if they are lying or not. Their emotions when they are nervous and deceitful are very distinctive."

Jabari nodded while he filed that particular piece of information to the back of his mind. "Interesting....Very well, Missus McCloud. If being in the presence of your husband's would-be assassin will not be upsetting, you may come and observe."

*****

Corporal Tony Quentin had many things to be anxious about, the least of which was why he was being summoned to the security chief's office. He was glad he had failed to kill Fox McCloud, and yet he was terrified of the consequences of his failure. The small fennec fox was getting desperate, and despaired at finding a way out. With trembling fingers, he depressed the door buzzer and heard Jabari's voice within. "Enter."

Taking a deep breath, the small corporal stepped through the door when it slid open. Inside, the fennec saw the serval security chief waiting for him. What he did not expect was to see Fox McCloud's wife sitting next to Jabari. Tony immediately began getting nervous; he had heard that she was a telepath.

"Sit down, Corporal."

Tony flinched at the lieutenant's words but sat down and did all he could to calm his mind and blank his thoughts.

"Corporal Quentin, you are one of four people seen in the vicinity of Mister McCloud's Arwing," declared the serval in a severe tone. "Can you tell me what you did?"

"I charged the fuel cells and performed the pre-flight check on all electrical systems prior to this morning's training exercises, Sir," the corporal affirmed. He briefly glanced at the vixen, but did his best to subtly look away. She was gazing at him so intently that it was all Tony could do to keep from losing his composure.

"Is that all, Corporal?" Jabari asked.

Two of the other three suspects Jabari had interviewed had all similar stories. Each had performed his assigned duty to maintain and prepare Fox McCloud's Arwing prior to flight. To the serval's mild annoyance, the third suspect had no business being there, but had wanted a picture of himself next to the former Star Fox leader's fighter to send back to his family.

All three had fidgeted and two had glanced nervously at the vixen next to him. It was no secret to the crew and the public in general that Krystal McCloud was a telepath. So Jabari was not surprised that her presence at an interrogation would make each of them nervous. Nevertheless, during all those previous interviews, Fox's telepathic wife had remained silent. So the feline security chief was starting to wonder if any of them were the culprit.

That changed though right after the corporal had answered his last question.

"Yes Sir. That is all I did," the fennec answered.

Krystal's voice was soft, gentle, and full of sadness, and yet her words were like a hammer blow to the small vulpine in front of him. "That is not true, Corporal, and you know it."

Lieutenant Jabari's voice hardened. "Corporal Quentin! I ask again. Was there anything else you did to Fox McCloud's Arwing?"

"N-nothing Sir. I'm telling the truth."

"Your emotions tell me otherwise, Corporal." Krystal sighed and shook her head sadly.

Tony Quentin knew then that it was hopeless and crumpled under the gaze of his interrogators. "Yes. I rigged Fox McCloud's Arwing to explode and disabled his ejection system and canopy so he couldn't escape."

Lieutenant Jabari hissed, "You'll be spending the rest of your life in the stockade for attempted murder, Corporal."

The fennec then completely lost it and wept. "You can do whatever you want to me. I'll sign whatever confession you like, but please protect them!"

"Protect who?" Jabari asked.

"My wife and daughter! They're going to kill them because I didn't kill Fox McCloud."

The fennec's despair and fear for his loved ones hit the empathic vixen like a tidal wave.

Jabari glanced at Krystal, but she was gazing intently at the fennec. "Missus McCloud?"

"He's telling the truth."

A glimmer of hope began to flicker in Tony's heart. "Please, Missus McCloud. You must believe me. I never wanted to hurt your husband. I had no choice." He sobbed, his mind filled with a mixture of hope and hopelessness. "They're going to kill my wife and little girl....I'll go to prison. You can execute me if you want, but please protect them! I beg you!"

Krystal was moved to tears. His hapless fennec was forced to be a pawn in someone's scheme to kill her husband. She could sense the same fear for his loved ones that she had felt in Fox when he feared for her safety.

"We can't let this guy take the fall for whoever was threatening him and his family," Krystal heard Fox think to her.

In the ship's sickbay, Fox had just finished undergoing his medical exam. He was relieved that he had not been exposed to any dangerous levels of radiation when his Arwing had exploded. The shields from Krystal's Arwing, coupled with his spacesuit's protective outer layers, had fully protected him.

He now looked ahead with a faraway gaze, tears running down his eyes, deeply moved by the young corporal's plight.

"Mister McCloud. Are you alright?" asked the nurse who had been examining him.

At first, Fox did not even hear him, entirely focused on his telepathic conversation with his wife, having just expressed to her his fervent desire to protect the young corporal.

"Mister McCloud?"

Fox's attention snapped back to where he was, his eyes meeting those of the silver fox who had been examining him. "Oh sorry.... Are we done here?"

"Yes, but was there any...?"

"I'm fine....I just need to go now." Fox absent-mindedly said. He then began to quickly dress, all thoughts on his wife and their mutual desire to help Corporal Tony Quentin.

In the interrogation room, Krystal voiced the same thought Fox had shared just a moment before. "Lieutenant Jabari, you can't send him to prison."

The serval sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and sighed, pinching the bridge of his muzzle. "Of course not, Missus McCloud. It's obvious that the corporal here was acting under duress." He then rested his elbows on his desk and brought his hands together, his fingers forming a steeple in front of his nose. "But you must help us find those who are behind this, Corporal."

That glimmer of hope in his heart now bloomed. Here was a way out of his predicament and he was going to take it. "I'll do anything you want, Sir. Just protect my wife and little girl."

He sat back and quickly typed on his computer terminal. "We will, Corporal. Now tell us everything..."

"Excuse me, Lieutenant," Krystal interrupted. "If I may?"

"What did you have in mind, Missus McCloud?"

Krystal fixed her eyes on the fennec while addressing Jabari. "My guess is that Corporal Quentin here will probably at best be able to give a vague description of the individual extorting him. Is that correct, Corporal?"

"It was dark. I could barely see him." The young fennec nodded.

Krystal brought her chair around the desk and sat right in front of the corporal. "Tony, I want to help protect your family, but for me to do that, I need your complete trust."

"Uh...Okay?"

"You see, conscious memory is very fleeting. Details seen by the eyes are often overlooked by the conscious mind, especially in stressful situations like you were put in."

Krystal raised her hand up to his temple, but stopped short of touching him. She could already sense a spike of apprehension from the fennec. "Tony, I can only do this with your permission. I'd like to probe your mind and see your memory of your encounter with this person who threatened your loved ones."

"R-read my mind?" he squeaked.

"Shhhh. Don't be afraid. If you let me in, I'll be very gentle and will respect your private thoughts."

Krystal could see that he was very afraid and did all she could to reassure him. "Tony, I can only do this if you allow me. I will never force myself into your mind.....Please, I want to help you. I promise you. I will not go anywhere in your mind you don't want me to."

Swallowing a lump in his throat, the young corporal nodded. "Okay. Anything f-for my little girl and w-wife."

The telepathic vixen smiled and laid her hand gently against the fennec's temple, speaking in a soothing voice when he flinched at the contact. "Relax...Close your eyes....Take deep breaths...." When she could sense that he was as calm as he could be, she went on. "Now, I want you to focus on recalling your encounter with this agent. Let your mind go back to that moment when you first saw him."

Tony did as the nice vixen told him and did his best to recall the night when everything went wrong. Suddenly, the memory sharpened to a startling clarity and he found himself reliving that terrible night...

In his quarters, Fox quickly typed notes on his computer terminal of everything he saw in Tony Quentin's memory. When he realized what his wife was planning, the tod had diverted to his quarters instead of going straight to the interrogation room where she was. Through his bond with her, he experienced the young corporal's fear and despair and was sickened to the heart that anyone would threaten this kind fennec's family.

Krystal pulled her hand away and sat back gazing at the corporal who looked back with a wide-eyed expression full of wonder.

"Did you see anything?" Jabari asked.

"We saw everything." Krystal affirmed. "Fox took notes of everything in Corporal Quentin's memory. From this agent's scent alone, we know he's a simian."

"A Venom agent?" Tony wondered.

In the years since the downfall of Andross, life on Venom had spiraled into anarchy as various factions warred against each other to fill the power vacuum. Multiple warlords, many former followers of Andross, both simian and reptilian, each claimed they were successors to their vanquished emperor, especially since Andrew Oikonny had been defeated and captured during the Anglar Blitz. It had also resulted in a rise in piracy in Lylat, all run by organized crime syndicates on Venom that now had free reign in an environment rife with corruption.

"Possibly." Lieutenant Jabari then turned to Krystal. "We'll know better after we've gotten these notes you say Fox took." He met the vixen's gaze thoughtfully. "I presume you've been in telepathic communication with your husband?"

"Yes. Fox saw what I saw in Corporal Quentin's mind. He's on his way here." Krystal bit her lower lip. She realized she had to be careful not to reveal the depth of her bond with her soulmate.

Less than a minute later, Fox walked in, carrying a data crystal, which he handed to the serval. Without another word, he sat down at his desk and went over Fox's detailed account of Corporal Quentin's encounter with the agent.

Seeing the Hero of Lylat in person was proving too much for Tony. A deep sense of shame filled the fennec. Here was the person who more than anyone else had saved them all countless times, and he had tried to assassinate him.

Fox could plainly see that the young corporal was on the verge of a breakdown. He quickly pulled up a chair next to his wife. He placed a hand on the fennec's shoulder to draw his attention, but Tony could not bring himself to look up at the former Star Fox leader. "Hey. Look at me."

Fox and Krystal's hearts almost broke when they saw the miserable expression in the fennec's eyes. "I'm not mad. I don't blame you for any of it." Fox assured the young vulpine. "Krystal and I know you never wanted to hurt us."

"I just feel like shit. I almost succeeded in killing you, Mister McCloud. After I sabotaged your Arwing, I wanted to die." Tony said in a small, quiet voice while tears coursed down his cheeks. "When you escaped, I was so relieved and at the same time so afraid that they were going to kill my wife and daughter for my failure."

"Well, the latter will not be happening now."

All three foxes turned and looked to the serval.

"The moment you mentioned the threat to your family, Corporal, I contacted CSA Intelligence. I just got a report that they have been relocated to a safe house. Agents disguised as your wife and daughter are now living at your home. We intend to spring a trap on whoever has threatened them." The lieutenant walked up behind the corporal and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Rest assured. We will keep your family safely hidden and not rest until these cretins are dealt with."

At that moment, Tony completely lost it and broke down in sobs. Krystal smiled while tears filled her eyes. She drew the fennec into her arms and let his tears of relief seep into her shoulder fur while he wept his thanks. In a choked voice, Fox also expressed his heart-felt thanks to the security chief. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Krystal and I both lost our families. So we know how Tony here feels."

"Yes. Your stories are well-known, Mister McCloud. I too have a wife and cubs. So I can appreciate the hell Corporal Quentin was going through."

By then, Tony had expunged himself of his emotional anguish and breathed a heart-felt sigh of relief. "Does that mean I can go back to my duties, Sir?"

Jabari shook his head. "No. You will be relieved of your current duties, with pay."

"Please Sir. I want to continue having the honor of maintaining Fox McCloud's Arwing. I hear a replacement is being prepared for him."

"Your request is denied, Corporal, but it is nothing against you." Jabari explained. He then went on. "You performed your duties admirably. This incident will be on your military record, but with no reprimand. According to your recollections, the agent also hinted that enemy spies had infiltrated the CDF and threatened your family if you reported this to us beforehand. So no reprimand will be recorded for your failure there either since all your actions were carried out under duress."

"Thank you, Sir."

"However, this incident has showed us that we cannot allow you to continue your current assignment." He nodded his head to the McClouds. "Fox and Krystal McCloud, in their career in Star Fox, have made a lot of enemies. So anybody associated with them will be targeted, as you have so learned, Corporal. You will therefore be reassigned elsewhere and a new ground crew will be selected after background checks. We'll need to find qualified CDF personnel with no family ties or any other liability that would make them vulnerable to coercion."

Tony hung his head and sighed. "Yeah, I guess so." He took a deep breath and stood. He first shook hands with Krystal. "Thank you for everything. I think that if ever I have another daughter, I'm going to name her 'Krystal' in honor of you for everything you did for me." He then shook Fox's hand. "It was an honor to serve on your ground crew, Mister McCloud. I'm so relieved I'm terrible at sabotage."

Fox laughed. "I'm relieved too, Corporal, and glad we could save you and your family. We'll make those scum pay for what they did to you."

"I look forward to hearing of it, Sir. Thank you."

He then turned to the serval. "I cannot thank you enough, Lieutenant. You saved my wife and daughter. They are everything to me."

Jabari clapped the fennec on the shoulder. "Report to your CO for reassignment, Corporal. Dismissed."

Tony straightened and saluted the lieutenant. "Yes Sir! Thank you, Sir!"

After the corporal left, Jabari turned to the McClouds. "What now?"

Fox looked to his wife and the two nodded. He turned back and replied, "We continue training Bulldog and Husky Squadrons."

*****

That afternoon, they met Bill and the other pilots of Husky and Bulldog Squadrons and explained what had happened and why they were standing down for a day while everyone's ground crew was being changed. Emotions went from shock and anger that anyone would dare try to murder Fox to sympathy for Tony Quentin's plight to fury towards Venom for the plot they had hatched.

Bill flopped down in his chair in the squadron briefing room. "That really sucks, you know. I really liked my ground crew. Those guys were top notch."

"I know it stinks, Bill" Fox said. "I don't like it either, but I'm not surprised really. I've made many enemies in my Star Fox career. So it was bound to happen, and they will be gunning for you guys too. You've heard some of the crew. They are calling you guys Star Fox Squadron."

Bill laughed. "Yeah." He looked at his wingmates around him who all grinned. "And I have to say that we were really chuffed to hear how everyone thought we were as good as you guys."

"You are as good as us, Bill." Fox declared. "Remember when you guys all teamed up against Krystal and me in the simulators when we started training you?"

Rachel Summer groaned. "Urf. Don't remind us. You handed us all our asses that day."

"Yeah well, you guys had a lot to learn at the time. The point being is that we sure wouldn't want to take you guys on in a rematch. We don't think we'd last long before you took us out."

A dawning realization raced through the briefing room. Like his wingmates, Bill thought back to all the radical maneuvers that he'd seen Fox and his crew pull during their Star Fox days and realized he and the others had been doing those same maneuvers. "Damn. Maybe we should rename ourselves Star Fox Squadron."

"No. You guys may have learned to fly like us, but it is as much a credit to your own skills as it is to our ability to impart on you what we know. An Arwing is not something a novice right out of the Academy could handle. Bulldog and Husky Squadrons were already considered the elite of the CDF." Fox made eye contact with every pilot in the briefing room. "All of you were a force to be reckoned with even when you flew the standard CDF fighters. You simply are even more so now that you are flying Arwings and know how to fly them to their fullest like Krystal and I can." Fox then grinned. "Besides, if you guys actually rename yourselves Star Fox, I'll have to sue all of you for copyright infringement."

The briefing room rang with laughter at Fox's comment. Bill himself chuckled. "Yeah, that may be the case, but I still think none of us could take you guys on two-against-two."

Fox rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "Yeah, well as you guys may have figured out, Krystal and I tend to think to each other. Our telepathic bond does give us an unfair advantage."

Krystal slipped an arm around her tod's waist and used her other hand to turn his head towards her to give him a brief but sensual smooch. Fox closed his eyes and let his muzzle meld with his vixen's until she broke off the kiss. After everything he and his love had gone through, Fox was beyond caring about openly showing any displays of affection, and so he wasn't bothered by the cheers and whistles from the other pilots.

Krystal also was beyond giving a damn about others seeing her kiss her soulmate, but there were still things she kept private. She giggled at their adulation for the brief display of how much she loved her vulpine. "Yes. It's no secret that Foxy and I are happily married." Her demeanor then took on a seriousness, and the room quieted. "And while we do not make it a secret that my husband and I are telepathically bonded, we do ask that you keep to yourselves what you suspect or know of the nature of our bond."

"What bond?" Bill asked. "I don't know what you are talking about." He winked to Krystal before turning to the others in their room. "Any of you know what this vixen is talking about?"

"I see nothing." Eric Tawney quipped.

"I hear nothing." added Foster Winters.

"I know nothing, nothing!" Several emphasized.

Fox laughed, sharing with his wife his deep affection for their friends and fellow pilots.

*****

Krystal was outright clingy that first night after she had rescued Fox. They made love with a desperation to feel and hold each other everywhere and had fallen asleep coupled and with their arms, legs, and tails tightly wrapped about each other. Krystal though had not meditated and that night her subconscious fears manifested themselves.

During the night, Fox had slipped out of his vixen as would sometimes happen. Sometime afterwards, his own random dream was disturbed by Krystal's anguished cry. "Nooooo!!!"

Fox woke up abruptly when one flaying arm hit him across the muzzle. For the first time in the two years he'd known her, Krystal was in the midst of a nightmare. Through his bond with her, he beheld a horrifying vision of his body being flung into space, torn apart by the shrapnel of his exploding Arwing and felt the gut-wrenching horror in his wife's heart.

In all the months since they had reconciled and gotten married, she had protected him from his nightmares, either rescuing him from his torment or outright preventing him from having any terrible dreams. And Fox would be damned if he didn't do everything he could to stop her nightmare like she had for him.

He rolled himself towards her and gripped her head, pressing his forehead against hers. Fox focused on all his love for her and thought through their bond as strongly as he could. "Kurisutaru! It's alright. It's only a nightmare. I'm here with you. I'll never leave you."

To his frustration, Fox was not able to get through to his tormented soulmate. Krystal howled in despair while fixated on the vision of his destroyed Arwing and his tumbling corpse drifting away from her in the cold vacuum of space.

"I didn't die. Please Kurisutaru. Ignore what you see. Feel my love for you. I am alive, in bed, next to you." Fox desperately thought to her, wishing so much that he had her telepathic powers to control her dreams. He could still see the horrible vision in her mind and feel her heartache.

All Krystal could think of was that she wanted to die. Never would she feel his caressing hands. Never would she feel his sweet lips upon hers.

Feeling her yearning for him, Fox realized that he was getting through to her on some level. He then sensed that her nethers were still moist from their earlier nocturnal lovemaking and suddenly knew what to do. Fox rolled Krystal onto her back, lined himself up, and focused on all the love he felt for her. "I will always be there for you, my Love." he thought to her just before thrusting hard, burying himself fully into his soulmate and kissing her passionately.

Krystal gazed through tear-filled eyes at Fox's broken corpse drifting away. Even in death, he called out to her, and yet it didn't make sense. She so much wanted to hold him and be held by him again, and share intimate pleasure with him. That aching desire suddenly exploded into a wondrous, sense of fulfillment in her nethers. The vision of his dead corpse floating away wavered and faded...

And Krystal woke to her soulmate's muzzle tightly latched to hers and his maleness driving deeply into her. Her depthless sorrow in an instant turned to sobs of joy. "Oh Spirits! You're alive!"

_"Yes, and I'll always be there for you, for all eternity." _ Fox thought joyfully, his tears anointing her face while he kept his muzzle locked to hers, refusing to end the kiss. She briefly squirmed under him, but his arms and legs were wrapped around her, pinning her down. When she saw in his mind the burning desire to make her feel safe and protected, she surrendered herself completely to him. "Yes, my Love. Let me be your angel this time." Fox thought to her while he kept up the slow pace of his lovemaking and continued kissing her deeply.

Krystal moaned blissfully and let her empathic powers soak up all the love blazing from her soulmate. She closed her eyes and went limp under his comforting weight, losing herself in his loving attention. Wrapped up in a cocoon of comforter and loving tod, Krystal was overtaken by a powerful rush of pleasure spreading from her nethers down to her toes even before her lover's knot had begun to swell.

By the time Fox's knot had swollen fully, locking them together, Krystal was pleasantly exhausted. Wonderfully filled, with his engorged flesh rubbing against her sweet spot, she reached her peak a second time. Ecstasy rushed through her even more strongly and spread up to her waist and chest. Krystal slipped into a contented slumber in the middle of the blissful afterglow that followed even while her lover continued to slowly drive himself into her.

Fox rested his chin on her shoulder and continued to slowly make love to his sleeping wife until he throbbed into her depths and drifted off to sleep with her. They remained tied together for the rest of the night and nightmares troubled them no more.

*****

After thorough background checks were conducted, new ground crews were found for Fox, Krystal, and all the pilots they were mentoring. They were nicknamed the Untouchables for there was nothing that could be used against any of these technicians who tended to the Arwings between each training session.

Over the next few days, Fox and Krystal led Bulldog and Husky Squadrons in more advanced training exercises. Bill and his wingmates were all becoming elite Arwing pilots.

Tony Quentin was reassigned to ship maintenance of non-critical subsystems of the Dauntless. He had been under review for promotion prior to the incident with Fox's Arwing. Due to the recommendation from Lieutenant Jabari, the sabotage he committed under duress was in no way considered a factor in an otherwise exemplary performance of his duties. So six days later, Corporal Quentin became Sergeant Quentin.

Best of all, it was during the celebration of Tony's promotion in the Sergeant's Mess that Lieutenant Jabari made an appearance where he gave the newly minted sergeant the best news possible. Earlier that day, the Cornerian Security Agency decoys in Tony's home that had been posing as his wife and daughter apprehended the Venom agents who had broken into the fennec's house.

*****

Fox and Krystal were suiting up in preparation for the final training exercise of Bulldog and Husky Squadrons. They had taken to suiting up alone together in their quarters instead of the pilot changing room with the others. Ever since Fox's brush with death, Krystal had become even less restrained in her affection for her soulmate. Donning their pressure suits had become a slow, sensual ritual that went well beyond any public display of affection.

Both had their diapers on and had helped each other into their cooling garments and tail sleeves. They sat side-by-side on their bed and were sliding into their pressure suits through the stretched neck opening. Fox wormed one arm inside his pressure suit and slid it into the sleeve. This was followed by his other arm. Both hands slid into the attached gloves, forcing the trapped air up along his arms and out the neck opening.

Krystal finished sliding into her own pressure suit and clipped each half of her neck ring in place. She adjusted the front of her suit's breast supports and felt her lover's desire for her surge through her mind. Seeing herself through his eyes drinking up her alluring form, she cupped her breasts and lifted them, showing them off to her tod while giving him a sultry smile.

Fox wrapped his arms around her waist and mashed his muzzle to hers in a passionate kiss. Krystal immediately responded, kissing him back hungrily while pressing her crotch against his. Both could feel their diapers getting damp with their arousal. Krystal was more passionate than usual since Fox's escape from the jaws of death.

Fox's hands drifted along the form-fitting pressure suite hugging her hips and up to grope her breasts while still kissing her a bit longer. "I really wish they made such sexy suits like this that we could make love in."

Krystal giggled at the thought, but nodded in whole-hearted agreement. _"We better finish suiting up. We can't keep the others waiting." _ Together, they slipped their hoods on, took their helmets, and walked out of their quarters.

_ _

In the briefing room, Fox addressed his protégés. "Alright Bulldogs and Huskies. This will be your final exercise. I've asked Captain Ramius to bring the Dauntless closer to some of the asteroids. So not only will you have to defend your carrier, but also maneuver around obstacles. So stay sharp."

Krystal then went on to say, "Today, you'll be putting together everything you've learned, all the maneuvers and tactics that are possible with the Arwing, and applying them to all the combat scenarios we've previously gone through."

Fox then set out the plan for the exercise. "So to start with, Huskies will defend the Dauntless and Bulldogs will go out to the edge of scanner range. Come in however you want. Use whatever strategy you think you can use to maximize your chances of getting by Husky Squadron. We'll do this for 30 minutes and then switch. Any questions?"

Fox didn't expect any, and there were none. Krystal nodded to her husband and announced, "Let's move out."

In short order, they were all in the hangar deck, helmets on and life support backpacks connected, and strapping themselves into their Arwings. Fox nodded his thanks to his new ground crew and then snapped his visor shut, his spacesuit immediately pressurizing. Like on all previous flights, Fox closed his eyes and breathed deeply while Krystal did the same. In a matter of seconds, they once again ceased to be two individual, bonded minds, and instead became a single amalgamated mind acting in perfect harmony.

Together, they launched into the void and took up their positions above and below the Dauntless. Moments later, Bulldog Squadron launched and flew beyond the range of the carrier's sensors, followed by Husky Squadron, which began to patrol around the Dauntless.

Less than 10 minutes had elapsed when they saw the Bulldog Arwings, all grouped together, race towards the Dauntless with their boosters on full. Krystal heard on her comm Rachel Summer comment. "Really? Come on Bill, I was expecting something better than that from you." She then sensed agitation from Bill and the other Bulldogs. "Fox, something's not right."

"I'll say. I can feel your empathy screaming." He then activated his comm unit. "Bill, what's going on?"

"Incoming bogies! Many of them! This is for real!"

Krystal immediately opened her comm. "Husky Squadron. Incoming enemy bogies in pursuit of Bulldog Squadron. This is not an exercise. Switch to combat frequency."

"Bulldog Squadron," Fox replied to Bill, "switch to combat frequency."

With everyone on the same frequency, Fox called out, "Dauntless, we have incoming enemy bogies. This is not an exercise. Do you see them on your sensors yet?"

"Confirmed Fox 1," came the reply from Jabari, who was also the carrier's tactical officer. "We are picking up 150 Venomian fighters coming in hot."

"Is that all?" Fox asked.

"Affirmative."

"Bill, any idea where those fighters came from?"

"Yes, we picked up a large carrier on scanners just before all those fighters launched from it."

Fox smirked and thought to his wife. "Well, this is an even better exercise for them. You, I, Falco, and Slippy could easily take on 30 Venomian fighters. Bill and his crew only have to deal with 6 to 1 odds. They are ready for this."

"Agreed, Foxy. I say we sit this one out."

"Fox 1, what are your orders?" Bill called out.

"Don't have any, Bulldog 1. You take care of it."

"What!?! Aren't you going to help us?"

"Nope." Fox grinned and slowly maneuvered his Arwing near to Krystal's. "You got this, Bill. You don't need our help. Consider this your final exam."

In his Arwing, Bill's expression turned from agitated to focused. He again activated his comm. "Alright everyone. You heard McCloud. This is our show. Let's take these buggers out."

Fox and Krystal remained together, holding stationary, meters from the Dauntless' hull, and watched Bill and his wingmates with a sense of pride take on the enemy fighters. Within the first minute, 12 enemy fighters had already been destroyed with not even a single hit made on any Bulldog or Husky Arwing shield. They were truly Star Fox material.

"Fox 1, we are picking up Wolfens inbound." came another call form Lieutenant Jabari. On HUDs, all saw the blips of 24 Wolfens, with three of them leading the other 21.

"Star Wolf?" Krystal asked.

"Confirmed, Fox 2."

Fox activated his comm. "Wolf, this is Fox. Do you read me?"

"I read you, Fox. We're coming in to assist. We've been chasing these pirates for the last two weeks."

"Roger that. Wolf, could you hold off? This has turned into a final exam for our trainees."

"You're risking their lives on a test? Husky and Bulldog Squadrons are up against 150 fighters!"

"I wouldn't worry too much, Panther. They've already taken out 29 fighters." Krystal said while keeping focused on her face shield's VR HUD. Just then, four more red blips winked out. "Make that 33."

"Woohoo! Way to go Bill!" Miyu called out from her Wolfen.

"Not bad, Fox, but things may get a bit more difficult when that carrier comes in with its jammers." Wolf cautioned. "It's been giving us a hell of a time. Each time we get near, we lose all communication and target lock will not work."

Wolf, Panther and Miyu maneuvered up to position themselves next to Fox and Krystal's Arwings. Just then, they heard Jabari on the Dauntless. "We have a large contact on long range sensors coming in."

On every Arwing VR HUD, another large red blip appeared. Fox glanced to his former nemesis. "Can you send us whatever data you have on this inbound carrier?"

"Sure thing." Wolf brought up all information he had and transmitted it to the Dauntless, which in turn uploaded it to all the Arwings.

Fox and Krystal very quickly went over everything on their displays, their combined mind absorbing all the information Wolf provide them. "Yeah. I see what you mean. Those are some jammers, and taking them out while dealing with that many fighters would be a tall order." Fox assessed.

"And their shield recharge rate is very high around the jamming array and the command bridge right below it." Wolf pointed out. "Even if several of us are shooting at it, its shields recharge between hits as fast as we can deplete them."

"We could punch through it, if we timed all our charge shots to hit at once, and detonated Nova bombs on them just as our shots hit at the same time."

"Hard to time shots when communication is being jammed and their fighters are covering them."

"Fox and I don't need communicators." Krystal replied. When Wolf turned towards the vixen's Arwing, he saw her point to the side of her helmet above her temple.

"Right," Wolf grunted, recalling Fox's telepathic bond with his wife.

"And with Bulldog and Husky Squadrons taking care of those fighters, we can focus on the carrier before it even affects Bill and his crew." Fox grinned.

"Of which, there are only 92 left, with no Husky or Bulldog Arwing lost." Krystal added.

"All you and your Wolfens need to do is concentrate all your fire on the bridge the moment you see Krystal and me build up for a charged shot. Even without a target lock, we'll be able to hit the exact same spot on the shields at the exact same time."

"You know. That may just work." Wolf nodded to himself. "Very well, we're in." He then addressed the other Star Wolf pilots. "Alright everyone. You heard the McClouds. Stay close and follow their lead."

Together, the two McCloud Arwings and 24 Wolfens surged ahead, flying around the dogfight Bill and his crew were winning. With that space battle behind them, the carrier was soon coming into visual range in front of them. Four times as large as the Dauntless, it was heavily armed and started to open fire on them. Fox and Krystal immediately began jinking and weaving about each other very quickly. Wolf, Panther, Miyu, and the other Wolfen pilots started to evade the fire as well. All began shooting at the carrier's defensive laser pods, taking several out. By this point, their communication was jammed, but the other 21 Wolfens were following their lead and taking out more laser pods.

In her Arwing, Krystal's sixth sense was screaming to her. Something was wrong. This carrier was coming in with no apparent fighter escort and looked like it could hold more than 150 of them.

In his Wolfen, Wolf O'Donnell was starting to believe they might actually succeed in taking these pirates out. The number of defensive pods along the dorsal side of the carrier was significantly reduced and they had lost only two Wolfens, and Panther and Miyu were still with him. He was waiting for the McClouds to start building up for their charged shots when they veered towards the underbelly of the carrier.

"Fox, what are you doing!?" he called out, but couldn't get through. Even so, he knew that the vulpine didn't do anything without a reason. So he angled his Wolfen to follow the two Arwings to the ventral side of the pirate ship. Miyu, Panther, and their remaining 19 Wolfens followed their leader. What he saw there made his hackles rise. Eight hangar bays were open or opening, and Venomian fighters were starting to launch out of the underside of the carrier.

Wolf and his wingmates immediately started firing on the emerging fighters, taking them out as quickly as they could before their numbers grew and they were overwhelmed, all the while having to evade the ventral laser pods. "Fuck. You better think of something McCloud." Wolf swore to himself.

Krystal and Fox immediately saw that things could become dire very quickly if they did not do something decisive. Fortunately, the shields were down around the hangar bay exits to allow for their fighters to emerge. So the two McClouds, in true Star Fox tradition, did something absolutely crazy and unexpected.

They flew straight into the foremost hangar, blasting fighters on their launch rails even before they could launch. Fox looked to his side, and when he saw that the other hangars were not separated by bulkheads on the inside, pointed his Arwing in that direction with a feral grin and launched several Nova bombs down through the seven other hangars.

Wolf watched through his prosthetic eye Fox and Krystal pull off the most insane maneuver he'd ever witnessed. In one fell stroke, they had wiped out 8 hangers full of enemy fighters from the inside. The two foxes shot out of the foremost hanger just as secondary explosions detonated in the second hangar just aft of their escape path.

Just then, all 12 Arwings from Bulldog Squadron showed up and started mopping up the remaining fighters, allowing him, Panther, and Miyu, and the other Wolfens to follow the McClouds up around to the carrier's dorsal side. In the distance, he could see the 12 Husky Squadron Arwings in the process of decimating what looked to be about 40 remaining pirate fighters.

Even with the devastation in the carrier's hangars, the ship's shields still held and communication was still being jammed. But it didn't seem to be making a difference anymore. Only now were they getting into range of the dogfight near the Dauntless, but the remaining pirates were being wiped out by Husky Squadron.

Following the McCloud Arwings closely, Wolf watched as the two wove and corkscrewed about each other, dodging fire from the few remaining defensive laser turrets while peppering the shield over the bridge itself. The moment he registered a buildup in the Arwing lasers, he and the other Wolfen pilots focused all their firepower on the spot right over the bridge main forward window. Five second later, Fox and Krystal launched Nova bombs, and fired their charged shots two and a half seconds later. On his tactical screen, Wolf could see the bridge shield had dropped to 83% under the unrelenting pounding of his Wolfens, but they were now recharging just as fast.

That changed when both charged shots and both Nova bombs impacted simultaneously at the same point on the shield. The combined energy released was more than the shields could compensate for. The resulting blast punched through and destroyed the entire front of the bridge. The carrier immediately began to drift out of control and system after system died down, first navigation, then shields and the jammers, followed by weapons and propulsion, and finally life support. With power going out, fire suppression in the hangars failed, and the fire, along with further explosion, quickly spread through the carrier until it was a floating dead husk smoldering in the void.

With the carrier's wreckage behind them, 14 Arwings and 18 Wolfen flew towards the Dauntless where they formed up with the 12 Arwings of Husky Squadron. Fox and Krystal were exceedingly pleased with the two squadrons under Bill's command. Not a single one was lost, though Nena Gordon's Arwing had some moderate damage, and two Husky Arwings here also damaged. Alex Growly's had minor scorch marks and Micah Ash's was heavily damaged, leaving a trail of plasma behind it. Her canopy was also breached, but she was unharmed, her pressure suit having saved her life.

*****

The Dauntless was now cruising back towards Corneria, accompanied by Star Wolf's cruiser and fighter escort. All Arwings were secured aboard the Dauntless with the tree damaged craft undergoing repairs. Three Wolfen were also aboard the CDF carrier. In the bridge conference room, Fox, Krystal, Bill, and Wolf were seated around the conference table with Captain Ramius, giving the lupine captain their report of the engagement.

When they were done, Lupo leaned back in his chair. "I must commend all of you. Today's victory strikes a major blow against the ongoing piracy problem that has been plaguing Lylat since the end of the Aparoid War."

Fox nodded to Wolf, "I hear from Falco that both Star Wolf and Star Falco have had their hands full dealing with these pirates.

"Yes, and our last joint operation took out a hidden base they had on Venom."

"That would explain why Star Falco was standing down. Falco had mentioned working with you on that. The Cornarian government must have prematurely thought the problem was mostly solved and that Star Wolf was enough to take care of the rest." Fox grinned to his lupine friend. "Nice cruiser, by the way. I like the name you gave your ship."

"Thanks," Wolf replied. In what had become a sort of tradition established by James McCloud and continued by Fox and then Falco, Wolf O'Donnell had named his new cruiser The Great Wolf.

Sitting in his chair with his arms folded, Bill frowned. "What I don't understand is why they chose to attack the Dauntless. There's no treasure here for them to loot."

"The Dauntless was not the target, Bill." Fox fixed his gaze on his long-time friend. "You were."

"Me?!?"

"Yes. Star Wolf and Star Falco were already making life difficult for them. The idea of two full squadrons of Arwing pilots trained by me must have been their worst nightmare come true."

"Damn. I don't know if I should be flattered or afraid."

"Take it as a compliment, Grey." Wolf grinned. His expression then hardened. "And none of you should ever be alone, especially planetside. A lone wolf is weak and vulnerable. A wolf pack is strong and not easily beaten."

"Well said, Mister O'Donnell." As a wolf himself, Captain Ramius understood well the advantages of being part of a pack. He stood up, and the others stood up with him. "Thank you for your reports, and well done...Mister McCloud, what are your plans now?"

"Don't have any. We're done here."

"So training is over for now?"

"No. Training is complete." Fox and Krystal both grinned at Bill. "This was their final exam, and they passed with flying colors."

*****

Fox, Krystal, Bill, and Wolf walked together through the Dauntless' corridors, heading towards the ship's mess. On the way, they met up with Panther and Miyu. "Our Wolfens are fully fueled and ready to go, Wolf." Panther reported.

"Good. I'll be sure to give my thanks to Captain Ramius before we leave."

"We are having lunch together first. Care to join us?"

Both felines smiled at Fox's invitation and walked in step with them. After getting their food, they found a table in one corner where they sat down and ate. Wolf took in his surroundings. A few of the crew nodded to him and others paid him no heed. The lupine looked down at his plate and shook his head.

Fox's ears swiveled towards the wolf and he focused intently on him. Understanding what her soulmate wanted, Krystal directed her mental powers towards their friend. She could pick up no distinctive surface thought, but sensed mixed feelings. Fox leaned forward. "What's the matter, Wolf?"

"What do you mean?" The lupine made eye contact with first Fox and then Krystal, who were both staring at him. He sighed and looked around. "There are times when it hasn't sunk in that I'm no longer a criminal outlaw. I can remember a time when the only way I'd be in a Cornarian military ship like this would be as a prisoner in the brig, and here I am, a free wolf allowed to move about in such a ship without being in handcuffs."

Fox smirked and sat back. "Having second thoughts about being one of the good guys?"

"Ha! Sometimes, I wonder what that really means."

"So what made you switch sides, Wolf?" Krystal asked. "I sense you have deep regrets."

"I have regrets about many things...I worked for Andross because he promised to pay me a fortune and I wanted to be feared throughout all of Lylat and neighboring star systems. Andross never paid me what he promised, even for the missions where I succeeded." He briefly glared at his old rival. "Of course, your interference didn't help either." His annoyance towards Fox faded from his eye and he shrugged. "Eh, I guess I really can't fault you for that. You never seemed to hold any grudge against me."

"That's because I knew that you never were involved in my father's death, Wolf."

"Andross did want me to set the trap for James, but I told him I'd only take him down pilot-to-pilot." His lip curled back in a brief snarl when he went on. "Pigma though....That greedy swine was more than happy to take the blood money."

Wolf's countenance relaxed and he took a deep breath. "I was becoming somewhat successful as Lord O'Donnell when I took over Sargasso, but I never could make enough in the long run. There was always some drama to take care of with the band of cutthroats and thieves under my command. Then of course, the Aparoids put an end to all my plans."

"We wouldn't have succeeded in defeating the Aparoid queen without your help." Fox affirmed.

"Well, even before that, I was coming to realize that I was going nowhere as an outlaw. I tried going back to my old ways after the Aparoids, but seeing that huge price on my head proved to be too much. So when the Anglars attacked, I jumped at the opportunity."

Panthar nodded and mused. "Yes, I remember the day when you came to Leon and me and told us."

"Told you what?" Fox asked.

"We were in a new hideout. I had been rebuilding up a new criminal organization like Sargasso. I came to Panther and Leon and told them I was tired of this shit and declared we were going legit." Wolf answered. "I had to deal with all those scum under my command though. So I called for an all hands meeting in the hangar bay. When they were all in, I sealed the place and spaced them."

"You murdered your crew!?" Fox asked, aghast.

Wolf snorted. "Hmpf. I'd hardly qualify that as murder. Almost every one of them was wanted for multiple counts of capital offences, including murder, rape, arson, and other violent crimes and all would have turned on Panther, Leon, and me if they knew we were planning to go legit."

"That explains why the base felt so empty when I joined you." Krystal said thoughtfully.

"Yes, I wanted a clean break from my past, and am happy I did it."

"So am I." Declared Panther, taking Miyu's hand in his and kissing it. "If it weren't for that, I would never have met this lovely lady here."

Miyu smiled demurely and cupped Panther's cheek with her other hand. "You say the sweetest things."

"What of Leon?" Fox and Krystal asked at the same time.

"He's still around. He wasn't too happy at first about my decision, but eventually agreed with it. He never liked dealing with people and would definitely not be comfortable here. So he no longer flies but works in the background in my intelligence division at the base on Katina."

"Yes, he always did feel odd," Krystal added. "His reptilian mind was so different from any I'd encountered on Sauria and his emotions were strange and confusing to me." She then fixed an intent gaze on Wolf. "Your emotions on the other hand, were very easy to read. I could easily sense the sincerity in your desire to make a fresh start. That's why I pleaded your case to Fox after the Anglars were defeated."

"Yes, I had to agree. Even without telepathy, I could see you were sincere and your actions during the Anglar Blitz backed up that sincerity." Fox added.

Wolf looked down at his food tray and idly played with the few morsels remaining. "That pardon you got us from the Cornerian government really made the difference. It gave us the opportunity to make a fresh start...There's this old adage that says, 'crime doesn't pay.' I had always scoffed at it as some old, meaningless platitude, but it's true." He looked up and grinned at Fox, Krystal, and Bill sitting across him. "Not only does it feel good to be legitimate, but it's been very profitable, more than ever before." He turned his gaze to look out the window with deep satisfaction at the new heavy assault carrier holding formation off the Dauntless' starboard. "So profitable that I've been able make a substantial down payment on the Great Wolf and outfit her with 24 Wolfens. So to answer your original question. No, I have no second thoughts about being one of the 'good guys' as you say it."

"Talking about your Wolfens, you should give a call to Fara and ask if Space Dynamics can do any upgrades for them. The avionics on the Mk 3 Arwings and the way they interface with our helmet visors are top notch. The pressure suits are compact and a life saver."

"Literally." Krystal affirmed her husband's words. They then told Wolf of the attempt of Fox's life.

Wolf swore at first, but then grew thoughtful. "I'll give this Vanessa Chambers a call. I have a letter of condolence to write to the family of one of the two pilots I lost today. It would have been nice if I didn't have to do that."

Fox sighed knowingly. "Yeah, the year before the Anglars attacked, I was having nightmares of Krystal being blasted out of her cockpit and dying in the vacuum of space." He immediately turned to comfort his wife by pulling her closer to him when he felt her shiver. "Now Kurisutaru, you've forbidden me from thinking of that nightmare, and I won't dwell on it, but I don't want you to think anymore of the nightmare you had either. That's not going to happen to either of us, thanks to Vanessa."

Krystal smiled and gave her husband a brief kiss on the cheek, sending a burst of her love into his mind. Fox whined happily at the telepathic bust of love, briefly going limp against her. Bill grinned and rolled his eyes and Miyu giggled and cooed. Both of course knew what had just happened, having seen Krystal use her powers on her husband before. Even though Panther did not know what had happened, he nodded in approval at the romantic display of affection between the two foxes. Wolf remained impassive and simply glanced away, uncomfortable with such PDA.

Bill piped in. "Well, it was really great seeing you two fly together into battle one more time. The way you two are so synchronized is unreal. I don't think you flew this well together during your Star Fox days."

"Indeed," Panther added, "and the way you flew into the pirate carrier's hangar to destroy them all form the inside was brilliant."

Wolf gave a barking laugh. "Outright insane, I'd say."

Bill looked thoughtfully at his two vulpine friends. "Do you have any regrets quitting Star Fox? Don't you guys miss it?"

Fox and Krystal glanced at each other, mentally communing. Fox then answered. "Flying together today was exhilarating, but we both lost our families to Andross. So our love of flying has taken a distant second to our desire to have a peaceful home life filled with many children."

Krystal nodded and leaned against her husband with a dreamy smile. "I want to get pregnant as soon as possible."

"We'll both scale back on our flying after our first child is born...maybe even retire completely."

Wolf then looked at his chronometer. "We have less than an hour before we are in orbit around Corneria. We should get back to our ship."

Everybody stood at that. Fox voiced his agreement while nodding to Krystal and Bill. "Yeah, we should get ready to fly too. Wolf, I'm glad things are going well for you finally."

Krystal added, smiling to Panther and Miyu. "It is nice seeing both of you so happy together too."

Miyu giggled and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "We are happy. Thanks so much for introducing us to each other."

Fox grinned and then turned to Bill. "Time to suit up. Hopefully, those three damaged Arwings will have been repaired." With a final glance to Wolf, Panther, and Miyu, he waved to them. "See you around."

With thoughts of home, Fox and Krystal headed to their quarters to don their spacesuits in preparation to fly their Arwings down to the CDF Base on Cornaria.